Waitrose Redevelopment Plan 'Fails to Resolve Residents' Concerns'

428 flats to be included in scheme with 20 storey tower

A visualisation of the proposed development. Picture: Sechi Smith

August 24, 2023

John Lewis Partnership (JLP) has finally submitted a planning application (233076FUL) for the development of the site of its Waitrose store in West Ealing.

The final designs are largely unchanged from the ones that were shown during an earlier consultation with 428 build to rent flats in four blocks up to 20 storeys high included with a new 2,526 sqm Waitrose store. The taller buildings would be to the east of the site.

The mixed-use development close to the West Ealing Elizabeth Line station will also have a public piazza, three new commercial units and a 133 space car park (down from the existing 221 spaces).

The new Waitrose store will be on the first floor above communal spaces for the apartments facing on to Alexandria Road.

JLP argues that the height of the tallest tower should be acceptable because it is similar to the already consented 55 West building nearby.

A new landscaped square is promised that would be able to host public events and occasional street markets.

The site is approximately 1.67 hectares and encompasses the existing Waitrose Store, store car park and service yard.

Developer's drawing showing the scale of the towers in context. Picture: Sechi Smith

Throughout construction a temporary Waitrose store will be located on the site which would be smaller that the existing store. A separate application would be required for this building.

47% of the housing units, which will be fitted out by John Lewis, will be one bedroom and another 44% will have two bedrooms with just 9% having three bedrooms.

The leader of Ealing Council was strongly critical of the earlier designs published by John Lewis which remain broadly unchanged in this application. He accused it of trying to ‘bully through a scheme’ which is too tall and doesn’t contain sufficient affordable housing. At the time the maximum height of the scheme was given as 19 storeys and there seems to have been little compromise on the level of affordable housing. Cllr Mason pointed out on Twitter that the council’s guidance for this area was 7-13 storeys.

The developer's visualisation of the view of the scheme from The Broadway

The Stop The Towers (STT) group which is opposing the scheme has written to Ealing Council urging it to reject it. It says the application fails to resolve any of the concerns about the development raised by residents and Ealing Council during the public consultation phase.

The letter highlights that JLP’s application includes buildings considerably taller than Ealing Council’s site-specific guidance of 7-13 storeys and that the complete demolition of the existing Waitrose building which is less than 18 years old is both out of line with general sustainability best practice and is contrary to Ealing Council’s recently announced policy on sustainability, which favours refurbishing existing buildings over redevelopment.

The letter also suggests that JLP has also behaved evasively by submitting its application during the summer holiday period and then delaying the wider communication of the submission, with the public only advised through a leaflet drop on 19 August. This has left residents with a 13 days until the closure of the consultation period on 31 August to review and respond to the application comprising 190 documents.

Visualisation from developer of public square where it says markets could be held

Concerns are also raised about the proportion of affordable homes with JLP saying it aims to provide 35% but only committing to 20% with no commitment to provide social rental units.

Justine Sullivan, Co-Chair of Stop the Towers says, "The arrogance of John Lewis Partnership around its intention to overdevelop the West Ealing Waitrose site is breathtaking. JLP has ignored local community opposition to their excessive plans and ridden roughshod over Ealing Council’s guidance for the site. Residents of West Ealing support appropriate and proportionate developments that will genuinely benefit the local community but JLP’s current plans will not deliver this. Unfortunately, the company is behaving like the most rapacious of developers, ignoring the needs of the local community and disregarding democratically implemented local plans in a desperate attempt to plug the losses of its core retail business.”

Visualisation of the scheme looking along Alexandria Road. Picture: Sechi Smith

63 comments have so far been submitted on the application. To have your say visit the planning section of the Ealing Council web site and use the application reference 233076FUL to search.

When John Lewis first put forward this scheme it said it was aiming to start construction this summer with projected completion in 2027.